Easter Monday 21st April 2014 - Mynydd Drumau GW/SW-038

The began with the scheduled 7am breakfast meet in the B&B. For our final indulgence, the lads both went for the loaded omelettes, while I made a welcome return to the full Welsh. All three of us partook in HP brown sauce. Obviously.  It looked a beautiful day weather wise, with sunshine and blue skies, and a considerable amount more warmth - and less breeze - than the previous three days. It would be a day of shirt sleeves and sunhats on the hills.

As usual, Jimmy's research was detailed and accurate. He directed me through the village of Bryn-coch and onto the byway at SS737999. Jimmy had found out, correctly, that vehicles could legally be driven a significant distance along these lanes. Indeed, we finally parked outside Dyffryn Farm at SN730002, just before the "No vehicles beyond this point" sign.  We walked up to the sharp turn in the track and then up the gentle gradient to another hairpin bend at SS727999. I couldn't help but notice that the road surfaces were excellent all the way up to this point and there was plenty of space for potential parking at the quarry here. I had seen another car driving down from this point while walking up. But the sign at the bottom had said "No vehicles beyond this point" so I banished all such naughty thoughts from my mind.

Shortly after the quarry was yet another hairpin bend in the now stony track, now on the open hillside. Where the track met the wall at SS726999, we turned right and ascend up the grassy slope to a gate at SN726000. All that remained was to diagonally cross the field to the trig point at the summit. The field was mainly populated with ewes and newborn lambs, but a group of about ten bullocks seemed to be taking an interest in us from a distance. I kept a careful eye on this, and when they appeared to be getting edgy and gesturing to start running towards us, we turned and started walking slowly back towards the gate!

Within seconds of this action by us, the bullocks lost interest and walked away to the far corner of the field. We about-turned yet again and this time reached the trig point by the wall. Although any potential danger had passed, we set up on the opposite side of the wall to the field containing the bullocks. As we were setting up, they all ran away to a further away field.  Today's hill sustenance was courtesy of the Easter eggs Marianne had packed for us. A start was made on these to top up on energy, with the remainders stashed away in rucksacks for the second summit later.

I really struggled on this summit to get any sort of contact on 12m whatsoever. Hence when I overheard Jimmy working Mark GW1DTA in nearby Swansea, I asked him to ask Mark to listen for me on 24.936MHz SSB. A minute or so later I had a 59 both ways QSO with Mark on 12 - phew!  Tuning around I heard Colwyn OE/MM0YCJ/P on OE/TI-061 on 20m SSB and DL8DXL/P on DM/BM-195 on 40m CW - but couldn't get through to either, so just noted them down as SWL logs. I did manage six QSOs of my own on 7.032MHz CW though, so the activation was comfortably qualified. Jimmy MW0HGY/P also got his point with five 2m FM QSOs, and it was time to pack up and descend.  The next, 14th and final summit of the South Wales trip, would be Hirfynydd GW/SW-017.